


What's In A Name?

by Liz_87



Category: Casualty (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:08:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24537481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liz_87/pseuds/Liz_87
Summary: My take on how Charlie and Duffy might have met for the first time. Pre-series.
Relationships: Lisa "Duffy" Duffin/Charlie Fairhead
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

Charlie was starting to think this night out had been a rubbish idea. He'd not long finished the last of five straight twelve hour shifts. He wasn't in the mood to party but his friends Steve and Chris had insisted that they had to visit this amazing new club that had just opened in town. 

He looked over to where his friends were busy chatting up a couple of blondes. He made a decision - one last drink and he was calling it a night. It was his day off tomorrow. 

He was starting to make his way over to the bar when out of nowhere his path was blocked by a young woman. There was nothing he could do to prevent them colliding. 

"Maybe try looking where you're going in future!" He remarked. 

She spun around to face him, an angry glare on her face. She quickly gave him the once over and her face broke into a smile. She stuck her tongue out at him and carried on walking towards the bar. 

Arriving at the bar, Charlie lent against it and lit up a cigarette. As he waited to be served his attention kept being drawn across the bar. To her. She was partially turned away from him so didn't notice as he took the opportunity to take a better look at her in the brighter light of the bar area. 

She wasn't his usual type. He tended to prefer brunettes but something about her impish grin drew him in. She walked slightly away from the bar to speak to a friend sat at a table. He watched her, greatly appreciating the way her bottom wiggled slightly as she climbed the couple of steps to the table. 

She lent over the table to speak into her friend's ear just as the barman came over to take his order. Hearing the barman clear his throat he reluctantly tore his eyes away from the perfect view he had of her bum and shapely thighs that were now on display thanks to the way her skirt had ridden up. 

"Um... A pint please and..." He tried to think quickly, what would a girl like her drink? He glanced at the row of drinks behind the bar. "And a babycham." 

He paid the barman and made his way over to where she was stood. Taking a glup of his pint he walked up to her. 

"Um, hi, I've bought you a drink to say sorry for being rude earlier. Um, my name's Charlie, what's yours?" 

"Lisa." She took the drink he held out. "Thanks and, well, sorry for barging into you earlier. I probably should look where I'm going more often." 

"Yes you should!" He replied. 

She glared at him again. Before he had a chance to correct his words she interrupted him. 

"Look thanks for the drink but I'm going to go over there now to speak to my friends."

As she walked away he cursed himself. When did he suddenly lose the ability to chat up a good looking girl? He just couldn't seem to say the right things to her. 

About a half hour later he was walking, head down, back towards the bar from the toilets when bang! He looked up. 

"We really need to stop meeting like this Lisa."

"It does seem like our stars have aligned." She smiled.

He didn't really know what to say to that so he dug his hand into his pocket and held out the crumpled cigarette packet in her direction. "You want one?"

"No thanks, I don't smoke." 

"Oh, um, ok." He put them back in his pocket. "Very sensible, they're bad for your health."

"So..?" 

"So..?" 

"Fancy a dance?" 

At the start of the evening he could have thought of nothing worse than setting foot on that dancefloor but now she'd asked it was a different matter entirely. 

They crossed the room and stood awkwardly swaying to the music at the edge of the dancefloor neither sure exactly what to do with their hands. The decision was soon made for them when a barge in the back sent her flying into his arms. 

She looked up at him, her eyes wide. Their gazes locked and he lowered his head to kiss her. Wrapping her arms around his neck she deepened the kiss. His hands, which had been on her waist, travelled down to grope her bum and he was pleased to discover it felt as good as it had looked when he'd been admiring her from the bar. 

They danced and kissed for another 20 mins or so before wandering away from the dancefloor and finding a seat on one of the sofas that ran around the outside of the room. The club was still pretty busy so there was only room for one of them to sit down. She nudged him towards it and once he was seated, perched herself on his leg. 

He ran his hand down the side of her face, his fingers tangling slightly in her hair. It was softer than he was expecting - most girls put so much stuff in their hair that it felt rock solid. She raised an eyebrow in confusion at the way he'd suddenly paused. 

"You're beautiful." He felt rather than saw the blush that crept up her cheeks. 

Their lips met once more. His hand slid down from her cheek to her shoulder before settling on her waist. His fingers played with the hem of her top before slipping underneath to stroke her skin. 

She shifted herself slightly to allow his hand better access. As she did the inside of her thigh brushed across his crotch. He moved his hand further up, as he reached her ribs she let out a giggle. 

"Ticklish?" He smirked. 

She didn't respond, just bent her head down to kiss him again, her teeth grazing his bottom lip. The kiss intensified as his hand reached her breast, his fingers stroking along the lace of her bra. Breaking the kiss, he looked slightly shy. 

"Um, my place is about 10 mins from here if you wanted to... Um..." 

She stood up and gave him a saucy wink. "Sure, lead the way."

The walk home ended up taking longer than 10 minutes due to various distractions but finally they were outside his front door. He had her pressed up against the wall of the alcove, his hands groping her breasts and his teeth nibbling at her collar bone. Her hands worked their way inside his jeans and slipping her hands under the waistband of his boxers she gave him a gentle squeeze. She brought her lips to his ear. 

"Are you going to invite me in or are we going to stay out here all night?" 

They reluctantly parted so that he could remove the keys from his pocket and open the door. 

Once inside with one motion he pushed her jacket from her shoulders and her against the door. Her hand snaked around his neck, her fingers playing with his curly hair and her other hand reached down to remove her ankle boots. 

He moved back to give her space, removing his jacket and shoes at the same time. His jeans were beginning to feel uncomfortably tight. 

He took her hand and guided her in the direction of the stairs. Once at the top he kicked open the bedroom door, silently cursing the mess he'd left the room in. 

"Um... Sorry its..." He cringed and gestured to the room. 

She simply laughed and grabbed the front of his shirt, sending them both tumbling onto the unmade bed. Her hands went straight to his belt buckle whilst he set about removing her top. That done, he reached under her skirt and ran his fingers along the waistband of her leggings. He heard the thud of his jeans hitting the bedroom floor. Reaching up to bite her earlobe he muttered. 

"You really have far too many clothes on!" 

She wiggled her bum so he could pull down her leggings leaving her in just her underwear and skirt. He was down to just his boxers and a pair of mismatched socks. 

He reached back under her skirt and ran his fingers along her knickers, her thighs parting as his hand travelled lower. He was pleasantly surprised to discover that her knickers were already slightly damp.

She let out a contented moan and reached down to undo the button on her skirt. He stilled her hands and removed her skirt. Her hands unoccupied again she reached inside his boxers and ran her fingernails along the length of him. 

Placing her hands on his shoulders she gently pushed til he was lying on his back with her over him. Kissing her way down his chest her hands released him from his boxers and she took him into her mouth. He let out a deep moan as she moved her lips slowly up and down the length and circled her tongue around the tip. She kissed her way back up his chest as he reached up her back to unsnap her bra and drop it to the ground. Rolling her onto her back he reached his hand inside her knickers and began to stroke her expertly. He lowered his head to tease at her nipples with his teeth and tongue. She let out a loud moan, her back arching, her head thrown back in pleasure. 

The last of their underwear is quickly discarded. He lies between her parted thighs and kisses her. Suddenly a thought occurs to him. He pushes back from her slightly. She opens her eyes and looks worried. What had she done? Had he changed his mind? She opens her mouth to speak but he places a finger on her lips to quieten her. With his other hand he reaches behind him and feels around til it makes contact with the bedside drawer, he reaches in and quickly locates what he's searching for. Raising an eyebrow and smirking at her he shows her the silver packet he's holding. 

Quickly putting the condom on he returns to his previous position and slowly, gently enters her, kissing her as he does so. Once he sees she's comfortable he quickens his pace, her legs wrapped up around his waist encouraging him to thrust deeper. Their tongues duel and her nails dig into his shoulders. His orgasm peaks and he collapses forward onto her. He lies there for a few seconds, looks up into her eyes and suddenly realises. Without saying a word he moves his head downwards and, resting his hand against her parted thighs he uses his other hand and tongue til her orgasm hits and they both slump sleepily onto the bed. 

They laid their heads on the pillows and Charlie reached down to grab the discarded blankets, pulling them up over the two of them. Within a matter of moments they were both fast asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Despite it being his day off Charlie still awoke early the next morning. It was the curse of doing shift work. He stretched his arms above his head. Ouch! His shoulders ached at the movement. He ran his hand along the back of his shoulder and felt scratch marks. A smile appeared on his face. He rolled over to look at her. Her red hair was laid tangled across her face and she was snoring lightly. 

She wriggled slightly in her sleep, allowing some of her hair to fall away from her face. The two reddish marks on her throat caused him to laugh to himself. Seems she wasn't the only one to leave her mark! 

The early morning light bounced off her hair causing it to shine with a coppery glow that mesmerised him. Unlike a lot of his previous night out conquests he decided that he'd certainly like to see her again. 

Rolling out of bed he throws on a pair of boxers and t-shirt before heading downstairs to the kitchen. He made coffee and toast before placing them on a tray and carrying them upstairs. Walking through the bedroom door he saw that she was still snoozing. He sat down on the edge of the bed. Brushing a few strands of hair from her face he spoke softly,

"Lisa, I made some breakfast. Hey, come on sleepyhead, time to wake up!" 

She began to stir and slowly opened her eyes. It took her a few seconds to recall where she was. She sat up and, smiling, took the coffee mug from Charlie. His curly hair was sticking up in places, that and the smattering of stubble on his face gave him a rugged boyishness that she found very appealing. She peered coyly at him over the rim of her mug. 

"Hi." 

He smiled back. "Hi."

"So..?" She prompted him. 

"So... Can I see you again? I'd very much like to." He looked down shyly. "Only if you want to obviously."

She smiled at his awkwardness. "I'd like that."

They continued to drink their coffee and munch on the toast until suddenly a panicked look appeared on her face. 

"What time is it?!" 

Looking at the bedside clock he replied. "Almost 8.30am, why?" 

She put her mug down, quickly got out of the bed and started to gather her clothes from the floor, rushing to get dressed. 

"I've got an appointment at 9.45am and I can't turn up looking like this!" She said dashing down the stairs. 

He rushed down the stairs after her. "Wait, I don't have any way to get in touch with you!" 

She grabbed her lipstick out of her jacket pocket and looking around spotted a mirror on the wall in the hallway. She quickly wrote on it before turning back towards him. She gave him a quick kiss. 

"That's my phone number. Call me." 

She opened the door and ran up the pathway, turned the corner and was gone. 

-x-

It was two days later and Charlie was back at work when yet again his thoughts strayed to Lisa. He really should stop being stupid and call her. She was going think he wasn't interested. He attempted to call her twice but had put the phone down before she'd picked up. He decided to call her on his break later. He just needed to get this meeting with Ewart out the way first. He jogged up the stairs and knocked on the office door. 

"Come in!" Came the reply from within. He walked through the door. Ewart looked up from his desk. "Ah Charlie, just the man! I wanted to let you know that we've lined up some staff nurses for the permanent nightshift trial. They'll be coming in this afternoon so I'd like for you to speak to Megan so she can show them the ropes." He handed Charlie two personnel files. 

When Charlie had returned downstairs he was informed that a multiple RTA was on its way in so that quickly put paid to any break plans he had. He threw the files unread onto his desk and made his way towards crash. 

A few hours later it was the end of his shift and Charlie was walking through admin towards his office carrying a stack of files ready for the next team when out of nowhere he collided with a young woman. The collision caused the files to spill onto the floor. As he crouched down to pick them up, the woman, seeing the mess she had caused and feeling absolutely mortified, bent down to help him.

"I am so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going. I'm not usually this clumsy!" 

Charlie turned to look up. He'd heard that voice before. Looking at her face his eyes confirmed what his ears had already told him. It was her, the woman responsible for one of the greatest nights of passion of his life was crouched in front of him. He reached out a hand to help her up but she pulled away and quickly stood up. 

"Um... Hi." He mumbled. 

"Hi." She kept her gaze on her shoes. "I was headed for the staffroom." She then bolted in the direction of the main reception leaving Charlie to finish picking up the files. 

Arriving in the staffroom she found Megan making tea. 

"We just need to wait for Charge Nurse Fairhead to join us and then we'll be going upstairs to speak to Mr Plimmer to finalise the details of you starting working here. I'll be back shortly." With that she left the room. 

Lisa had just settled herself into one of the chairs when Charlie entered. He quickly made himself some tea and sat down opposite her. 

"Do you always run away like that or is just me that has that effect on you? I mean, that's twice in less than a week now." 

"I had my reasons. First time around I had a meeting and this time, well, I wasn't expecting to see you." 

"Ah..."

"I also didn't want to create a scene."

"Why would there be a scene?"

She glared at him. "Did you ever plan to call me?" She looked genuinely hurt. 

"I did call you, twice. Just, um, you didn't answer that's all."

She smiled. "Oh, so you're my three rings caller?"

"Erm, unless you have other guys calling you, then, erm, yeah, that might be me."

"Well, well, I didn't have you down as the shy type Charlie." She smirked. 

"Yes, well, um." Charlie blushed. He ran his hand across the back of his neck and she saw the nervousness in his handsome blue eyes. Her stomach began to do somersaults. She lent forward and their lips met. The kiss started gently, tenderly but quickly their passions ignited. She felt his hand slide under her skirt and begin to work its way up her thigh. She reached up to loosen his tie and pull at the buttons of his shirt. 

His fingers had almost reached their intended destination when the sound of the door opening caused them to spring apart and attempt to look innocent. 

"Charlie Fairhead!" Megan exclaimed. "I left the room for 5 minutes, and you jump on the new girl! What is wrong with you?"

"I... Er... Um..." He stammered. 

The realisation hit Lisa first. "You're Charlie Fairhead, as in Charge Nurse Fairhead?" 

"Yeh. Um... So you're Nurse Duffy" 

"Duffin" she replies correcting him. 

"I like my version better." He grins and she can't help but smile back.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a week since they'd been formally introduced and on finding out the professional relationship they were set to have both of them, without discussing it, had backed away from the other. 

Charlie was sat at the admin desk when he saw her exit one of the cubicles and stand outside it talking to one of the doctors. She had her back to him so he chanced a glance in her direction. He'd never really taken much notice of the nurse's uniform before, it was just a standard outfit that he'd seen on hundreds of women he'd worked with over the years - blue dress and belt, black tights and flat shoes, all topped off with a starched white cap. But on her... His gaze drifted to her bottom, his mind instantly conjuring up images and memories from their night together. His groin began to twitch at the thought. He forced his eyes back onto the paperwork in front of him. He swallowed hard, trying to force the memories of her naked body from his thoughts. It wasn't proper to think of her like that, he was her boss! He was also, as he'd discovered when he'd finally gotten around to reading her personnel file, 9 years older than her. He'd guessed she was a little younger than him but not by that much. That meant she was only a handful of years out of nursing college. Seducing her had been a mistake but unlike most mistakes he didn't want to learn from this one and move on. No, now he just wanted her more. 

She finished speaking to the doctor and turned to update the patient board. She saw that Charlie was sat at the desk, he looked slightly stressed as he ran his hands through his curly hair whilst chewing on the end of an old biro. She bit her lip, wanting nothing more than to run her fingers through his locks and feel his lips on hers. She felt the warm fluttering of butterflies in her stomach. She cleared her throat, reminding herself that he was her boss so nothing more could happen between them. 

Hearing her cough, he looked up. Their gazes briefly locked, smouldering flames in both their eyes. She was the first to break eye contact, quickly scribbling on the board and then all but running back towards reception. 

Watching her go Charlie was reminded of Megan's words to him the previous week - "I don't know quite what that was I witnessed earlier but take some advice from an old hand. Never mix the personal and the professional, it only ever ends in tears." He sighed as he rubbed his hands across his face. If only it was that simple... 

They didn't see each other again for a while as the department became more busy due to the pubs starting to close for the night. He suddenly heard her let out a strained cry from one of the cubicles. Pulling back the curtain he saw that a large man, clearly the worse for alcohol, had backed her against the wall and held her wrist in one hand and had his other arm pressed against her throat. She was fighting against his hold but his sheer bulk meant that it was fairly pointless. Hearing the curtain open the man turned slightly to look at Charlie. He caught a look flash through Duffy's eyes and her leg shift slightly. Charlie sprang forwards and attempted to place himself between the two before she carried out her threat and got herself into serious trouble. 

"If you want treating I suggest you let go, sit down and behave yourself or I will have you thrown out!" 

The man let out a growl and slumped onto the trolley. "She started it, bitch stabbed me with a needle didn't she?" 

Charlie sighed. "As I'm sure the nurse explained, the only way to deal with your cut is to stitch it. Now the sooner you let her get on the quicker you can leave."

Deciding the situation was now under control he left the cubicle but didn't completely close the curtains just incase things kicked off again. He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. It had shaken him seeing her in a chokehold like that. 

When he saw her in the staffroom a little while later he took the opportunity to have a quiet word. Closing the door he looked over at her, 

"You ok? Did that bloke hurt you?"

"I'm fine. I was capable of handling it Charlie, I didn't need you charging in to rescue me." 

As she picked up her coffee from the counter he couldn't help but notice the ring of bruises around her wrist. He watched as she walked over to a chair, sat down and crossed her legs. The action reminded him of the other reason he'd come to speak to her. 

"That may be true but you can't go around handling drunk patients by kneeing them in the groin." Off her look of denial, he continued. "Yes I did see that you were about to do that! I don't want to have to discipline you but if you do that again I'll be forced to." Heading back towards the door he tried his best not to read too much into her smirk when he'd said the word "discipline".

-x-

The end of the shift had finally arrived and Charlie was glad to be on his way to the staffroom to collect his jacket before heading home for a long sleep. The shift had been mentally exhausting. He pushed the door open only to find the object of his torment stood brushing her long red hair in the mirror of her locker. He stood mesmirised watching the brush glide through her hair, teasing out the tangles caused by a night of being swept up under her cap. 

She didn't need to turn around, she knew she was being watched. She lifted up her hair and ran the brush slowly through the long waves. A triumphant grin lit up her face as she heard him let out a low moan. She lent into her locker to place the brush inside and grab her jacket and bag. 

He grabbed his coat and tried to act calm and natural as they walked through reception and out of the building. She turned to head towards the bus stop. He reached out his hand and placed it on her arm. 

"I could, um, give you a lift home if you wanted? Save you getting the bus." 

She knew she should decline but the second she looked into his eyes those words died on her lips. She smiled and looked down. 

"Er, ok. If you're sure? That'd be great. Thanks." 

They got into the car. He started the engine and they sat in awkward silence as he drove out of the hospital carpark. The quiet was briefly broken as she gave him directions to her flat but the awkwardness soon descended again. He reached over to change gears and in doing so brushed his hand against the side of her thigh. He quickly pulled his hand back as though the brief touch had burned him. She reached into her handbag and flicking down the sun visor began to slowly apply her lipstick in the mirror. She pressed her lips together and let them part with a pop. Out the corner of her eye she saw Charlie shift slightly in his seat. He switched on the indicators and suddenly turned down a side road.

"Um, Charlie, I live in the other direction." 

"Traffic." He grunted. She raised an eyebrow at him. 

They drove for a few more minutes in total silence until they reached the edge of the common. He pulled into a siding behind some trees, stopped the engine and climbed out the car. Without a word he shut the door and walked a few paces from the car and stood facing away from her. She sits for a few seconds totally confused before opening her door and walking towards him. 

"What the hell's gotten into you?" 

"You! You've gotten into me that's what!" Her eyes went wide. "Oh don't give me that look, you know exactly what you're doing." She tried to speak but he continued. "I try to help you, try to be a friend and you get angry at me but then seconds later you flirt and tease. I can't keep up!"

"Me?! So this is all my fault is it? I don't think so. It was you that chatted me up! You that took me back to your house! You that put your hand up my skirt in the staffroom! You think you can just charm your way out of anything by turning on those baby blues don't you?" 

"Oh quit the innocent girl routine Duffy! I've met the real you." He edged closer, they were practically touching now. "The naughty seductress!" 

"Urgh, you really are so cocky! You think you're so irresistible that you can just stand so damn close to me and I'll just fall into your arms." 

"Well you'd know all about how cocky I can be." He looks her up and down, fire in his eyes. "Take a look at how you're dressed, you clearly set out to try and seduce me." 

"Bollocks!" 

"You just can't resist can you?" 

"Oh I can resist just fine Charlie. It's you that's got the problem resisting temptation." 

He laughed at that so she lent forward and kissed him. He murmured against her lips. "We shouldn't be doing this." She pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes. "Tell me you don't want me. Go on, tell me!" He sighed and reached out a hand, tangling it in her hair. He pulled her towards him and kissed her hard. 

Her hands snake around his neck as they stumble back towards the car. Her back hits the side of the car as he lifts her up, his hands under her buttocks and her legs wrapped around his waist. His arousal presses firmly against her. She lets out a gasp as his teeth nip her collarbone. Her mind is screaming 'Not here!' but the thrill proves too much and those thoughts are quickly silenced as she finds herself being pushed backwards onto the car bonnet. She whispers into his ear, "If this is your idea of discipline then I'll have to be naughty more often!" 

She lets out a moan as his fingers find their way inside her knickers and begin to carress her. She reaches up to undo his belt buckle, quickly unzipping his trousers. As she eases him out of his boxers he pulls down her knickers, tucking them into his back pocket for safe keeping. Parting her thighs he lent forward and quickly entered her, feeling the familiar warmth envelop him. She wrapped her legs around his waist to stop from slipping. They kissed, she bit down hard on his bottom lip as his thrusts caused her head to smack against the bonnet. It didn't take long before they both came, he buried his face in her hair and she bit his shoulder to try and muffle the sounds of their passionate moans. 

Standing upright again, Charlie tucks himself back inside his boxers and sorts out his clothing. He reaches into his back pocket and dangles Duffy's knickers in front of her. She snatches them from him with a glare and hurriedly puts them back on. Walking round they both get back into the car. Though both are now sexually satisfied, the atmosphere in the car is still painfully tense. Without a word exchanged between them, Charlie restarts the engine and carries on the journey back to her flat. As they pull up outside, Charlie turns to speak but Duffy simply gets out the car and runs up the path before disappearing into her flat. 

Slamming the door behind her, Duffy leans against the wood. She stays there for a few seconds before banging her head back against it and cursing herself silently.


	4. Chapter 4

Charlie drove home from her flat even more confused then ever. He hadn't thought it possible that the situation between them could become even more of a mess but it had. Entering the house he kicked off his shoes, threw his jacket on the floor and went straight to bed, pulling the blanket over his head as he did. 

-x-

With an angry shout he slammed the phone back down in its cradle for the third time in the last hour. Great! Now she was ignoring him completely. He looked at the clock, it was 3.15pm. They'd have to see each other at work in a matter of hours. He had wanted to clear the air between them before then but it seemed quite clear that she wasn't interested in doing that at all. 

-x-

It was two hours into the shift and Charlie had had enough. It was getting ridiculous - every time he walked into a room, Duffy walked out of it. An idea entered his head, she wasn't going to like it but they needed to deal with this before people started gossiping. He could tell that Megan was already suspicious. 

He left his office and quietly walked up towards where Duffy was sat filling out paperwork. 

"Nurse Duffin, a word in my office please." She opened her mouth to object. "Now!" He declared before turning to walk back into his office, attempting to ignore the curious stares of the other staff. 

Moments later he heard the sound of his office door bang shut. He turned to see Duffy stood there, her arms folded across her chest and an angry scowl marring her features. 

"Would you like me to lock the door before I strip for you or do you enjoy the thrill of maybe getting caught?!" She spat at him angrily. 

"What?! That's not what I asked you here for. Well, it sort of is, I mean..." He coughed awkwardly. "I think you and I need to talk." 

"I don't." She replied shortly. 

"We can't carry on like this though. We have to work together." 

"If you were so concerned about that then why didn't you follow me earlier?" 

"I tried to speak but you ran away. Seems to be something you're pretty good at." 

"Only sometimes." Her anger fading slightly and being replaced with hurt. 

He reached out his hand and placed it gently on her shoulder. She moved her head only slightly but it was enough for him to see that there were tears starting to form in her eyes. He nudged her gently so that she would look at him properly. "I did try to call you, several times in fact, but you refused to pick up the phone." 

"I never got any calls."

"I called you early in the afternoon. The phone rang for several minutes but you didn't pick up. Why else would that happen unless you were ignoring me?" 

"I went out for a bit."

"Where?" 

She turned away from him, breaking the contact between them. "It doesn't matter where I went."

"It matters to me Duffy, you're clearly upset."

She looked down at her feet. "I was at the clinic." She muttered. 

He closed his eyes briefly. He felt like such a jerk! He opened his mouth to speak but her anger was flaring again. 

"Do you know how humiliating that was? Sitting in that waiting room by myself, having to explain what I needed to the doctor. I felt so cheap and used. You think it's funny dangling my knickers in front of me like that? The only way you could have made it worse was if you'd then told me that the money was in the glove compartment!" 

"You didn't need to go there a.." She cut him off mid sentence. 

"Would you have rather I'd risked us getting a nasty little surprise in a few weeks time?!" 

He pinched the bridge of his nose and slowly exhaled. 

"You should have called me. I would have gone with you. You shouldn't have felt you had to face that alone." He sighed. "You and me, it just seems to keep leading to trouble doesn't it?" 

She managed a weak, watery smile. "Yeh, you're right." 

"Don't get me wrong, I really like you. You're beautiful, fun to be with when you're not mad at me..."

She fiddled with her hands. "I really like you too." She sighed. "Is this your way of ending things?" 

He couldn't speak. He looked down at his shoes and nodded his head slightly. He forced himself to look up again, to look at her. The pain in her eyes mirrored what he was sure was in his too. He reached out his arms to her. She didn't move at first but then slowly she moved towards him. Their arms wrapped gently round each other and her head rested on his shoulder. It fit perfectly and she could feel the beat of his heart. The sound soothed her. Lifting her head, their lips met one last time. The passion of their earlier kisses was replaced by a tender longing, the knowledge of the sacrifice they'd both made. As they parted he rested his forehead against hers and gently tucked a stray piece of hair back behind her ear. 

"Maybe one day." He whispered. 

"Yes, maybe one day." She replied as she slipped from his arms and quietly left the room.


End file.
